Biden Still Has No Direct Plans for ME Visit, Trip Postponed 

By Staff, Agencies 

US President Joe Biden confirmed Friday he was considering a trip to Saudi Arabia as part of his wider tour of the region, though he said he did not know yet when it would take place. 

A visit to Saudi Arabia would be a stark reversal for the leader after calling for the kingdom to be made a pariah state over the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"I'm not sure when I'm going," Biden said when asked about reports of an imminent visit. "There is a possibility that I would be going to meet with both the ‘Israelis’ and some Arab countries at the time."

In parallel, he told reporters "Saudi Arabia would be included in that if I did go, but I have no direct plans at the moment.”

This comes as NBC reported that Biden’s reported visit to the region has been postponed to July.

According to the report, “Biden's planned trip to Saudi Arabia was also postponed until July as Washington plans a more comprehensive Middle East trip, including a Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] summit in Riyadh.”

The rescheduling, which was reportedly decided on Friday, is not finalized to be in July, with a US official noting dates for Biden's visits could change again, as per the report.